This article provides some interesting stats about envelopes. Adding colorful text and images increases its open rate by nearly 70%! Have you noticed the envelopes Dollar Bill sends out their invoices in? All of that printing is done in-house too!

Next month when we're working on designing and writing Dollar Bill's next direct mail piece, I will certainly keep this article in mind. It addressed some interesting points and epitomized what a postcard should be/do.

"The final challenge for direct mail marketers, Donahoe said, is to get more creative. 'That single piece of mail in your mailbox doesn't compete against the internet or television,' he explained. 'It competes against whatever is in your mailbox that day. Mail should be colorful, it should have images. We see a lot of creativity in digital and mail should have that same amount of creativity.'"

I was looking over different sites today which highlight the value of posters and the impact they can have on the viewer/consumer. I thought this sample of guerrilla marketing posters was the most powerful.

Your poster doesn't need to be this provocative, of course, but they certainly are rather inspiring for the risks that can be taken, and how effective those leaps can be!

Courtesy of weburbanist.com:

"Guerrilla marketing has perfected the technique of catching people’s eyes and grabbing their attention, targeting consumers in unexpected ways and unconventional places. That, of course, is the point of this once-fringe form of advertising, which has now been taken up even by large corporations like Adidas and Microsoft. These 10 posters show just how powerful guerrilla marketing can be, whether trying to solicit donations for charitable causes or provoking you to join a gym.

"QR codes are everywhere. But rarely are they being used effectively. The majority of marketers today use static QR codes that capture only aggregate behaviors. Using a personalized QR code in print media will make more effective and actionable measurement a reality.

...

Marketers can reap the benefits that both offline and online communications have to offer by using personalized QR Codes on print media, enabling them to understand who snaps, how many times, who converts and who orders from your mail campaign. The measurable results offer new opportunities for more meaningful communication and creative on future campaigns."

Drive Holiday Shoppers to your Website with Direct Mail

"Along with increased spending, holiday shoppers are going to be using every efficient means with which they can acquire their purchases. This includes the convenient use of smartphones and heavy webpage surfing. There are many ways to draw customers in through direct mail with QR and bar codes, making direct mail anything but obsolete. QR codes can be scanned with smartphones that link to businesses' websites..."

Why do customers print in black and white?Is it because it’s the best solution?Sometimes it is, but sometimes customers print in black and white for one reason – they think the cost of color is too high. Everyone knows that color can add impact to printed communications.

Now, digital printing makes color more affordable than ever so customers can use it in every job to magnify the impact of a range of documents:

-Color captivates in marketing pieces

-Color clarifies in user manuals

-Color adds perceived value in financial statements

Digital printing provides a solution for color and black and white pages at a cost practical enough for every print job. Customers get affordable black and white and the incredibly sharp color to provide the edge they need."

Postcards are one of the cheapest ways to send direct mail. With the right planning and execution in message and design - you can have results that you can measure.

The Post Office reports that postcards are read up to 6 times more often than other forms of direct mail. Combined with our lower cost of mailing and production, this can add up to a winning marketing campaign for less money.

Here are some things to consider:

Keep it simple. Don't try to stuff too many ideas in the card. A clean design and message means the customer will have an easier time digesting the message. A humorous message that speaks to the needs of the customer is much more likely to be saved and acted upon than a dry statement of facts.

The rule of 3's - When you start a postcard campaign - have the plan in place to follow thru on it. You need to hit the customer at least 3 times before you can expect results to really come thru. One of the great things about postcards is the ability to create a response-tracking feature in the card. You can do this very simply with a special.

Size and weight - Consider larger and/or heavier cards to make yours stand out from the stack of mail that shows up every day.

Tuning - you can use postcards in several phases - try them out on a new target audience with a small test run and then go after the rest of the target market after you know you have a winning message. Leave them wanting more - Don't try to answer all of their questions in a postcard - give them a reason to call or visit your website.

Be colorful - Full Color compared to B & W - not much more expensive when you consider the cost of postage and has much more impact.